OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2013 SA MINES & ENERGY JOURNAL
27
New policy research into
improving shale gas output
and minimising environmental
impacts will take place in Adelaide
with three new scholarship
placements on offer at the
University College London (UCL).
Funded by BHP Billiton, UCL's
School of Energy and Resources
will host the students at its
only Australian campus in a bid
to pave the way for Australia's
US-style shale gas revolution.
UCL Australia's research head,
Professor Stefaan Simons, says
the research projects will look
at a range of areas, including
the growth of shale gas in the
United States and whether
this will impact Australia's
burgeoning oil & gas industry.
Research into the life-cycle
of shale gas operations;
environmental monitoring of
offshore petroleum developments;
and ways to improve the current
regulatory system will form
part of the new study areas.
Professor Simons says the
new research will also look
at current hydraulic fraccing
technology, which may not work
as well in Australia due to the
clay shale found here as opposed
to marine shale in the US.
He cites the need to import
specific frac sand due to its
scarcity in Australia as having
"serious cost implications for the
large scale viability of shale gas
projects" as a focus of the study.
"The use of imported fraccing
sand and the management of
unconventional gas with variable
levels of CO2 are two potential
areas where optimisation
technologies and policies could
see both improved financial returns
and environmental outcomes.
"
Professor Simons says the
research aims to inform policy
makers and assist in developing
environmental based policies,
while also looking at how to best
manage Australia's resources.
"We have conducted marine
environmental studies with oil
companies and are looking at
Smart Grid networks to optimise
power supply, so these new key
areas of research will help build
our capacity to manage and extract
our resources in Australia,
" he says.
The UCL School of Energy
and Resources has previously
partnered with Beach Energy,
BHP Billiton, Santos, SA Power
Networks and other key industry
players to look at a range of energy
related policy and research areas.
"We look at the big policy
issues, the key decisions and the
barriers that need to be brought
down for positive economic and
environmentally safe outcomes,
"
Professor Simons says.
Research will commence
in February 2014.
Fuelling the revolution
Kate Fantinel looks at how local research into shale gas will pave the way
for South Australia's gas revolution.
We look at the
big policy issues,
the key decisions
and the barriers
that need to be
brought down for
positive outcomes
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